Journal-box



W. 'F.. RICHARDS.

JOURNAL BOX. APPLICATION ElLED Jun 6, 1918'.

Patented Mar. 30; 1920.

WM 6 K/ m flTOfEJVEYS "UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE- WILLARD F. RICHARDS, 0F LANCASTER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T 0 GOULD COUPLER 00., OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

JOURNAL-BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 30, 1920.

Application filed July 8, 1918. Serial No. 243,873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLARD F. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lancaster, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and use ful Improvement in Journal Boxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to car ournal boxes and more particularly to the spring devices ing the lid closed, and when the lid is raised the spring passes over the upper corner of the lug and bears on the top of the lug, thereby holding the lid open. The spring is flexed or strained in thus passing over the corner of the lug from one to the other of its two holding positions. These springs must be relatively stiff in order to hold the lids tightly closed, and since the free or movable portions of the springs are necessarily relatively short on account of the small size of the lids, they are frequently broken or become permanently set and are therefore a source of much expense and trouble.

The object of this invention is to provide an elficient and reliable spring device for closing the lids of car journal boxes and releasably holding them in the closed and open positions, which is of simple and inexpen sive construction, is more flexible than the leaf springs heretofore used and is less liable to be broken or to become permanently set, and which enables lids equipped with the device to be used on M. O. B. journal boxes now in use to replace the lids thereof which have been broken or lost.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of the outer end of a journal box provided with a lid closing or holding device embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation thereof on line 22, Fig. 1, showing by full and broken jijiies the closed and open positions of the A represents the journal box, the outer end portion only of which is shown, and B the lid for closing the usual opening or mouth a in the outer end of the journal box. The lid is suitably hinged atits upper end to the box to swing upwardly and downs wardly, for instance by a hinge pin 0 passing through bearings or hinge lugs c on the lid and through a hinge lug O on the box projecting upwardly between the lugs c on the lid. The outer portion of the journal box including this hinge lug G is preferably of the construction commonly employed in M. C. B. journal boxes, so that lids with the closing and holding devices forming the sub'ect of this invention can be used on M. C. journal boxes now in use to replace the usual M. (I. B. lids. The. lug O has the usual flattened front or outer face 0 between the ends of the lug against which the upper end of the spring closing device on the lid bears to hold the lid closed, and a flattened top or upper face 0 against" which the closing device bears to hold the lid open. d is the usual inwardly. projecting marginal flange on the lid adapted to surround the mouth of the journal box for preventing the entrance of snow, rain and dust into the box.

-The lid closing and holding spring device E consists of a spring rod or wire bent upon itself preferably into substantially M shape, thus forming two outer legs or upwardly extending members 6 and an intermediate downwardly extending loop or portion e substantially parallel with and con nected to the upper ends of the legs. The lower ends of the legs e are seated in sockets or perforated lugs f on the inside of the lid at its lower portion and the bent lower end of the intermediate loop or downwardly extending portion 6 of the spring enters a notch or seat 9 on the inside of the lid. The lower end of the loop 6' presses outwardly against the lid so that it is retained in the notch or seat 9 and thus secures the ends of the legs e in the sockets f against accidental displacement. When the lid is closed the upper end of the bent spring E bears against the outer face 0 of the hinge lug above the axis of the hinge and presses and holds the lid tightly against the outer end of the." journal box, forming a tight closure for the mouth a. -When the :C, as explained, has greater flexibility or elasticity than a straight or single-part spring of equal cross section. While, therefore, the spring described has adequate strength to press the lid firmly against the box and hold it in the intended positions, it is more durable and less liable to become permanently set than a single-part spring.

I claim as my invention ,1. The combination with a journal box having a hinged lid, of lid closing spring of substantially Fri-shape having a plurality of connected substantially straight parts secured at one end thereof to said lid and having the opposite connected end portion thereof arranged to bear against surfaces on the box adjacent the lid hinge for 010s ing the lid and holding it open.

2. The combination of a journal box havin a hin ed lid of a lid closin s rin conb 7 b b sisting of an upwardly extending substantially straight spring rod having one end thereof seated in a socket on the lid and a downwardly extending part connected to the other end thereof, the lower end of which downwardly extending part enters a seat on the lid and thereby retains said first V mentioned end in said socket, the connecting bent portion of the spring rod being arranged to bear against surfaces on the box adjacent the lid hinge for closing the lid and holding it open.

3. The combination with a journalbox having a hinged lid, of a lid closing spring consisting of a bent spring rod having opposite legs secured at their ends to the lid and a loop between the legs, the portion of the spring connecting said loop and legs being arranged to bear against surfaces on the box adjacent the lid hinge for closing the lid and holding it open.

4. The combination with a journal box having a hinged lid, of a lid closing spring WILLARD F. RICHARDS. 4

Witnesses: I

DONALD C. DAVIS, ALLEN B. BRIMMER, 

